


"I love you. Please stay."

by xxcathaaxx



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Larry Stylinson Is Real, M/M, Rich Zayn Malik, Zayn Malik & Louis Tomlinson Friendship, ziam
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-05
Updated: 2017-01-05
Packaged: 2018-09-15 02:40:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9215141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxcathaaxx/pseuds/xxcathaaxx
Summary: Zayn is a professional thief, forger and con artist. After getting caught he decides to works for the FBI together with special agent Liam Payne instead of going to prison for several years. Nothing is what is seams and Liam is just trying to find out the truth.





	1. #1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry that I jump around a lot. I hope it'll get better but I can't really be sure ^^ I'm sorry for all my spelling/grammar mistakes..It's a lot to understand but I kinda need it for the plot :D

It was tuesday. Nothing good ever happened on a tuesday, he decided. The day had started off pretty decent but now here he was in the middle of all these scared people, all running and screaming in panic, trying to reach the door of the art gallery before it was shut down. Nobody seemed happy about the thought of being trapped but then... yeah he could pretty much understand them all, neither was he. Even if he didn't look like it he was strong, he could have easily pushed them all aside to reach the door first but then again that would have been pretty obvious. Over the past couple of years he learnt quiet a few things about normal behaviour in these situations especially what he shouldn't do so holding his bag closer to his body all he was doing was...nothing. Just walking, letting all the people push him around and hoping that they didn't recognize his face...  
\----------------------------

'The Z' is what they had called him, and to be honest he always hated the name. Dealing with clients the name was really well known and respected but as he started doing what he did he had hoped of something epic, something special, something that he couldn't think of himself. Sadly after one of his first job that went horribly wrong and almost got him arrested and into jail for several years the police came up with that name and who was he even kidding it couldn't be worse then that. Years ago he had been young and naive, thinking he was the smartest one around because that was what learned in his childhood. Nobody could compeat and usually nobody even tried. All of that changed with moving in the big city where he hoped to finally find what he was looking for: Something to do without getting bored.

Living in a smaller town with his parents and his sisters had always been different, mostly it had been easy. Growing up having siblings resulted in him been mostly unwatched and free in whatever he wanted to do. But even though he was, he still went to school and even finished it just to make his parents proud. At first he hated it. Hated to deal with all the people. Hated to get the attention he got for his looks and most important hated learning. Later he decided that actually learning wasn't really his problem - it mostly were the things he had to learn. His first reaction had been not to do anything other then watch his grades slipping but after realising that he couldn't really do that and make his parents proud, he got creative. The first thing he thought of was coping homework, tests, everything. He didn't have to think about or learn it and still the teacher thought he cared. After a while he got bored of that and too lazy, so given his circle of admirers it was easy to find someone dumb enough to do his work for him. Apart from that he had 'quiet a talent' of guessing what the questions in exams would be, or at least people said so. 

It wasn't that he didn't learn at all he just did it at a different speed and about other things. The time he didn't spend reading every book available he helped people in their shops around town. Each for a few months before he decided that he wanted to do something else. In the end he ended up working in the library reading every minute that he didn't have to work and if he maybe didn't return every book he took nobody said anything.

All of that ended with his parents finding out about a few things and lets just say he didn't really like to think about that time but he ended up moving out and to New York with the money he mostly safed himself.


	2. #2

He spend his first day in New York walking around in darker street checking out smaller shops. He liked it and with his appearance: black hair, black clothes and his arms full of tattoos he got, liking to design them, he seemed to fit right in. Around 11pm, he had been standing in front of a little comic store that was about to close when he saw a guy. He was small, had messy brown hair and was wearing a dark blue adidas hoodie, all in all he seemed normal and uninteresting but looking closer it almost seemed like the guy was wearing black gloves. He was walking pretty close to the lady walking in front of him but she didn't seem to notice. If he wouldn't have known better he would've said it was nothing but as the man reached out into her purse without her noticing and took her wallet he wasn't really surprised.

Lost in his thoughts he watched the woman walk away and just for a moment he wondered when she'd notice and what she'd most likely do.   
"Don't thing she'll notice until she's home." a slightly high pitched voice interrupted his thoughts. Looking up the thief was now standing next to him looking at him. "Don't think I've seen you here before" he stated looking at him for a long moment "but anyways. I'm Louis." Smiling the man lifted his hand just to let it sink again noticing he was still wearing the gloves. After a moment of silence between the two of them, the thi- Louis was counting his stolen money and Zayn not knowing what else to do, Louis looked up smiling. "Hey you wanna come with me and spend all her money on food?" and seriously how could he say no to something tempting like that.  
\--  
They ended up staying at a McDonald's for a few hours just talking and joking around. With Louis he found somebody to talk and joke about all the things he'd normally keep to himself. They ended up talking about what they where doing now and as he told Louis that he was still looking for someplace to sleep the boy just shrugged and said that he'd be lonely anyway. He didn't tell him why he was alone and Louis didn't ask just simply started talking about his sisters again.

 

Just like that he begun to live with Louis. He was owner of a huge flat with paintings everywhere and large windows with a beautiful skyline. It felt like home. The first home in a long time.  
It was a few weeks later that his friend asked for help with planing of a heist. Nothing big the boy had said and Z was well aware of the lie but decided to help anyway. In the following days, he learned that Louis was more interested in stealing expensive jewellery that money and that he normally hated to just steal wallets because he got bored way to quick. Z loved it. 

Their first heist was great. They had spend weeks planning everything and every scenario so in the end it was a full success. Still full of adrenaline they sat on Louis large couch laughing and watching the news Chanel reporter talking about what happened and how they they might have done it. They didn't even come close.  
-  
It continued just like that. Louis asking for his help or his opinion and the two of them stealing everything they wanted. Nobody knew who they where for over a year. The police was clueless having no pictures or videos or even people who could describe the two criminals. But Louis and Zayn where well known in other circles. Louis had quiet a few friends that Zayn met over time and he had never been so amazed before. All of the people he met where pathological liars and still they all managed to be friends and if needed they helped each other out. They where real friends. Zayn had never experienced something like that. He felt like his whole life people had never cared that deeply about him. 

It took a while but they got careless. Not that they would have ever been stupid enough to get caught but they forgot to deactivate the cameras and even worse these where eyewitnesses. So after that there where real pictures of who the police was looking for. They didn't really know what else to do about it and after a while the while thing was mostly forgotten.   
\---------------

It had been one and a half years since the two of them meet and they where currently walking down a small streets. They hadn't done much lately and Louis at least wanted to steal something small like a wallet. They didn't have to look for long. After about 5 minutes a tall curly haired boy was walking in front of them so he was standing back watching as Louis walked faster. It was totally standard. Just slightly push the person while taking the wallet but somehow Louis managed to mess that up pushing the curly haired boy enough that he tripped and fell. Normally they would have ignored that but god knows why Louis actually stopped walking. Shooting Zayn a short look he couldn't place and walked up to the boy offering him his hand apologizing. After hesitating the curly haired boy took his hand smiling at him for a second and Zayn could see Louis freeze and stare at him. Hesitating he lifted his hand out of his jacket pocket offering the boy his wallet back while stuttering " I- I think you dr- dropped that". It sounded more like a question than a fact. Zayn couldn't help but chuckle.  Self-confidence Louis looked like a small helpless child. He could have easily interrupt them to help Louis out b and maybe that would have been the best idea but who was he to disturb that. Taking his wallet back the boy hesitating smiled again thanking Louis. As Louis shyly asked if he wanted to get coffee as an apologie Zayn couldn't help the fond smile. He'd tease Louis about this forever. It'll be fun.

 

So it kind of was but really wasn't.  
It took both of them about two weeks to fall helplessly in love.  
They where constantly texting or talking. A while later the boy -Harry- was almost living in their flat and Louis was spending all his time with him. At first Zayn was jealous of Harry. He got all of Louis attention that he wasn't used to share but after a while he got used to the green eyed boy and accepted him as part of the family. Even though Louis didn't stop all his criminal activities he didn't really do much either and when he did he complained about feeling bad for not telling Harry the whole time. It was cute but useless. It lead to Zayn doing most of his heists alone. At first it took him a while to get used to working alone and after second time that Officer Payne had almost caught him he decided to change his strategy and hire helpers he could mostly trust. It got easy from there and he managed to steal something 'really important and valuable' or at least the newspapers said so. After moths of planing the whole thing with not much contact to Louis other than to ask him for his opinion to parts of his plan and after achieving what he wanted without being in danger of getting caught at all, it was Christmas and the three of them where sitting in the huge living room exchanging presents.   
-  
Louis had gotten Harry a really expensive necklace and Zayn was still wondering how he planed to explain where he got the money for it. A short time after Louis meet Harry he stated to work in a book shop and even though they payed him really well because he was charming and had a interesting ability to get a lot of people to buy books they hadn't even known they wanted the money still wasn't enough for something like that.

Harry must have had the same thought because he had been staring at it for quiet a while now. After the silence of Harry not reacting at all got almost painful he looked up to Louis, who's face had changed emotional at least 12 times in the last few seconds, and blurred out  
"I know what you do. I mean like really. I knew it the second you ran in to me."   
And ok Zayn was shooked. He had expected a lot of things from Harry but surely not that. After a short break of Louis just starring at Harry like he just confessed he killed his mother Harry continued rambling: " I mean I was shocked obviously. I just knew the pictures of the police report and the only reason I knew them was that my friend L-nevermind unimportant- warned me and told me to stay away from you. I never thought I'd ever meet you. I-I mean New York is quiet big. Anyway I couldn't. I mean I couldn't like stay away from you I mean. As I met you I was prepared for you to be rude but yo-you weren't. You were so nice and I- I don't know. I just wanted to get to know you." Harry laughed awkwardly. "...and look where I am now. Totally in love with you. Not caring about all of that. Louis, I lied to my best friend because he'd arrest you. I mean maybe that's not a big deal to you but I don't lie - never have." 

Zayn could literally watch Louis eyes soften. "You're an idiot" was all Harry got before Louis kissed him.

"He was talking about office Payne" Zayn thought.


	3. #3

At the same evening as Louis was asleep half on top of Harry, he spoke again. He had spend hours just sitting there playing with Louis hair watching crappy TV shows -enjoying the Christmas spirit- as he had called it. Zayn wasn't paying any attention to them to caught up in his own thoughts.

"I'm sorry. I know I broke your trust"

Zayn hadn't even really thought about that - more about the fact that this boy knew - no was a friend - of the person who had been trying to catch him...sure also Louis but mostly him for years now. Well many people tried but nobody came as close as Office Payne did. 

"Its fine man. I would've done the same thing. Thank for - you know- not selling us out" he replied even though he was well aware that the only reason that Harry didn't was to stay with Louis. It was the reason he started to accept him in the first place. Harry was crazy about him and Zayn respected that.

After a short while he added

"You two are friends right? Tell me something about him...your best friend. I mean... he's been trying to catch me for so long and I know almost nothing about him." If Harry was shooked that Zayn knew about who his best friend was he did a good job at hiding it.

He spend the next hour listening to Harry's slow voice, telling him story's about Office Payne until he fell asleep peacefully.

-

It didn't stay like that. It never did.  
It took Louis about a week to get used to the thought of Harry knowing and three days later he started to plan his next crime. Zayn offered to help him but after all that time being a normal citizens he said he wanted to do something on his own nothing big just a small jeweler. So he spend most of time observing the place.  
Harry wasn't stupid so it didn't take him long to catch on and he wasn't exactly happy about the whole thing. It was the first real fight that Zayn knew they had and he was sure if both of them wouldn't have been so stubborn it could have avoided him lots of trouble. 

-  
Harry had told Louis not to. He had told him that there was so much that could go wrong. He had be on the edge of tears telling him that he didn't want to lose him -That he was so scared. But Louis was stupid and it was a stupid habit of his to not care about when people were worried about him until it was way to late.

So of course Louis decided to still go through with it and of course it all went wrong. According to him he hadn't noticed the "unsuspicious" Van fast enough and his only possible options had been to run and find somewhere to hide. And of course Harry had just called him in that exact moment to apologies and of fucking course he forgot to turn of his phone. There was no way the officers didn't hear it and there was absolutely no way of getting anywhere. All the exits of the factory he'd been hiding in where covered by officers. They where everywhere. They, one of them officer Payne, were following the sound of Louis mobile right that moment. Oh he was so fucked. The only answer Harry got before totally panicking and calling Zayn was a whispered "You where right". Zayn had never heard Harry speak that fast. 

\--

He didn't know how to react or what to do but he had to do something. He had been standing in one of his favorite art galleries. He was sure he wouldn't reach Louis fast enough no matter what he did so he did the best thing that he could think off. Finding a room with nobody else and taking one of the painting. He knew how to trigger the alarm instantly and the camera was full on filming him. That was the point. Yes Louis was wanted but he hasn't stolen the things that Zayn did. Zayn was way more important and he knew that.

Later in Officer Paynes report he read that he had got a call about Zayn that had distracted him only for a few seconds and that Louis took those few seconds to vanish completely. According to Louis Office Payne had sounded absolutely shocked to hear about Zayn. (Louis had imitated his slight accent while asking "he did WHAT?" It had been hilarious.)

It was to late. The doors were closed. He could see a few people trying to break them but he knew that there was no use in trying. They were trapped and even more important HE was trapped. They had nothing to fear, non of them caused the alarm. HE did. The bag pressed to his chest he had no other option than to wait. It didn't take more that a few minutes for the police to arrive and he could here a loud male voice ordering people around long before he could actually see officer Payne. He was wearing black trousers and a simple black shirt with a gold chain around his neck. The shirt hugged his muscular chest perfectly and all Zayn could say about it was that it was really hot. With all the people backing away from the door he was standing there alone watching in awe. As Officer Payne walked closer Zayn could see his cold facial expression and how his brown eyes where coldly fixated at Zayn. He could feel the panic rise. This was what his nightmares were about and still with all his instincts telling him to run for his life or maybe even his freedom all he could do was rase his eyebrows and say in a mocking tone.

"What took so long officer?"He could see him role his eyes.

While Zayn got handcuffed the other people were free to go. The painting -still in his bag- was given back to the gallery but Zayn didn't care. He could hear Liam mumble about how stupid he had been to get caught like that and even though he could have easily explained himself all he found himself saying was "C'mon Officer there is so much more we could do with these handcuffs" because flirting with the Office that had been trying to catch him for years now? Why not. He just hoped he couldn't hear the fear in his voice.

\----  
Court wasn't really interesting. He wasn't really that stupid. They had no evidence against him in most of his cases so the only other thing that he was made officially responsible for  was another painting found in his and Louis apartment that was almost empty as the police got there. The process didn't take long but Zayn could watch Officer Payne grow more and mor frustrated as he was found innocent for most of his 'crimes'. The judge had said it like that and really the officer, understandably, had looked about ready to murder her, all in all pretty funny. Zayn was aware that the agent knew way more of the things Zayn had done than the police. He had thought that good-looking-officer-Payne was from the police department but as his lawyer had told him - Payne was working for a special force unit called 'White Collar" that had special interest in Art. Yet another reason why they didn't even look for Louis anymore. Zayn was more important than he had originally thought. The unit had spend years trying to track him down and while the police had other big cases to manage and solve, they hadn't. In the end it didn't really mater what he was found guilty of. He was sentenced to go to prison for several years but well it could have been worse. Not that he didn't plan for the worse case it was just that he didn't plan for it to really happen. Normally his fear of all the negative things that could happen in the future where irrational and something he ignored as far as possible.  
Anyways, there was hope.


End file.
